Paul McCartney Calls John Lennon’s Killer the ‘Jerk of Jerks’

As we approach the 34th anniversary of John Lennon's killing, those who knew him are being asked to remember the tragic day when they heard the news. One of them, Paul McCartney, discussed it in an interview that will air on Britain's ITV tonight (Dec. 6).

Speaking to Jonathan Ross, he recalled (via the Mirror), "I was at home when he died. I got a phone call. It was so horrific. I could not take it in that he was gone. It was a very big shock. I was so sad that I was not going to see him again. And the guy who did it was the jerk of jerks. He was not politically motivated."

Granted, "jerk of jerks" might not be the strongest language one could use to describe Mark David Chapman, who was denied parole again this summer, it is nonetheless acceptable for broadcast. Still, McCartney noted that the tensions between the two that led to the 1970 breakup of the Beatles had subsided by the time Lennon's life was taken from him.

"There was acrimony in the Beatles," he added. "But when he got killed we were friends. We used to call each other up and swap bread recipes."